US International Trade Commission

The U.S. International Trade Commission is an independent federal agency that studies how trade affects American industries. It investigates claims that imports are harming domestic producers or unfairly using protected ideas, publishes the national tariff schedule, and gives the president and Congress nonpartisan analysis on trade.

People usually ask who sets tariffs, what the commission actually decides, and how it differs from the trade representative and the Commerce Department. They also ask how trade remedies such as duties on dumped or subsidized goods work, where trade statistics come from, and how tariffs affect prices, exports, and government revenue.